Russian President Vladimir Putin held Ukrainian authorities responsible for the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin held Ukrainian authorities responsible for the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.

He said Kiev bears some responsibility for fighting that may have led to the jet’s crash. 

“I would like to point out in this regard, that this tragedy would not have occurred if there was peace in that land, at least, if hostilities had not resumed in the South-East of Ukraine,” Putin said in televised comments on Friday.

“And without question, the state over whose territory this took place, bears responsibility for this awful tragedy,” the Russian strongman added.

The Boeing 777-200 carrying 298 passengers and crew crashed while flying over a part of eastern Ukraine near the Russian border that is essentially a war zone between Ukrainian forces and pro-federalization separatists.

It was en route from the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday when it crashed.

He urged Russian military officials to provide necessary assistance in the investigation of what he described as a criminal act.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said a “terrorist attack” caused the passenger plane to crash in eastern Ukraine.

Pro-Russians in eastern Ukraine have accused Kiev of shooting down the plane. The self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) said in a statement that witnesses watching the flight of the Boeing 777 passenger plane saw it being attacked by a battle plane of the Ukrainian forces.